Assault on Helm's Deep
Dan Slb: Of all the Legendary Legions, this one spoke to me the most. The battle of Helm's Deep is my favourite part of the movie trilogy so I was very keen to have a look at both of the LLs from this siege. Sadly, I just couldn't make a list I was happy with for the Good guys, it feels like it wants to be hero heavy but doesn't get the bonuses that other hero lists get, and if you go troop heavy then you are just making a worse version of other shield-wall lists. It is very fluffy but I always have an eye to being a bit competitive so I sadly had to turn away. The Isengard side looks a bit better though! I don't think it is going to be super competitive but it looks like it could do OK whilst giving me opportunity to bring a few of the toys that I would usually leave behind.
Uruk-Hai Captain with Shield
Demolition team
6 Uruk Hai Warriors with Shield
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Pike
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Crossbow
1 Uruk Hai Warriors with Banner
Uruk-Hai Captain with Shield
Demolition team
6 Uruk Hai Warriors with Shield
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Pike
3 Uruk Hai Warriors with Crossbow
1 Uruk Hai Warriors with Banner
Isengard Siege Ballista
700 points, 40 Models, 5 Might, 7 Crossbows, 2 Banners
So without access to any named heroes you have to make do with Captains. Their warband size has thankfully increased to 18 and your leader gets 3 attacks and 3 wounds. He still isn't going to be a beatstick like Aragorn or Boromir but he will definitely give the mid-tier heroes a run for their money. So if we don't have big heroes to deal with things then we need another way. Enter the Demolition Teams and the Ballista. Both of these receive a boost to their odds of actually doing what they are supposed to do in the form of a reroll for the Ballista and a second dice on the Detonation Chart for the Demo Teams. I envision trying to snipe heroes with the Ballista in the early turn and if that doesn't work then I will blow them up with a bomb! Obviously these are not super reliable but they will be hilarious!
The reliability in this list comes from the 29 F4 S4 D6 Uruks backed up by 2 Banners. These guys are just fantastic rank and file troops who should be winning or at least tying Fight Values with everyone except Elves. With 2 Banners and the Pikes to support we should have 3/4 dice in most fights which gives excellent odds of winning. I have also included 7 Crossbows to help thin the enemy ranks before the lines meet. I will also be shooting into combat with heroes at every opportunity as this is a good way to whittle them down.
There are a lot of weaknesses to this list: lack of Might, Magic and Cavalry are just a few. Ironically for an army that is supposed to be assaulting a fortress I think your best bet with this list is castling up, let your crossbows inflict some pain and then blow up whoever gets too close! However I do think that it will be a lot of fun, the grindy-ness of the troops being offset by the swingy siege elements! I can't wait to blow up my first Azog, I really hate that guy!
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| Oh Lawd he comin’ |
The Wolves of Isengard
Dave: The Wolves of Isengard is the legion that catches my eye the most, I'm a fan of Wargs and Warg Riders, but I just can never find myself willing to dedicate a whole list to them. UNTIL NOW!
You know that scene in the Two Towers? The one where Theoden and a bunch of other Rohirim are on their way to Helms Deep when they get attacked by Sharku and his gang of Warg riding Orcs? That's what the Legion represents. So enough with the rambling, what do you actually get?
You have to take Sharku, but he's upgraded to a Hero of Valour, increasing his warband size by 3. He must be taken on a Warg (a theme you'll probably already have guessed). All of the models in your list gain the Isengard keyword, and your Shamans will be able to use fury on Isengard Orcs, rather than Mordor.
The icing on the cake though, is the free Heroic Combat you'll get each turn with Sharku. If you can get multiple models in the fight, you'll have plenty of coverage for your charge should you win the Heroic Combat.
If you're playing a Maelstrom of Battle style mission you get to pick who gets Priority on turn one, letting you get the jump on your opponent, especially so since you'll be able to charge in the turn you come onto the board! You'll really be able to pick off some warriors, or even heroes that ended up too far away from the rest of the army, should you get lucky enough to deploy near them. In the event that you're not playing a Maelstrom mission, D6 of your warriors will be able to Move and Shoot! This happens after forces are deployed, but before priority is rolled. And even if you are doing a Maelstrom, the d6 Warriors can come on the board before anyone else so you can lay some bait for unsuspecting opponents.
Here's a list a I came up with, and I won't lie, I'm pretty excited about it, although it'll probably never see the table.
Sharku on Warg with Shield.
8 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.
1 Warg Rider with Banner and Shield.
Orc Captain on Warg with Shield.
7 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.
Orc Captain on Warg with Shield.
7 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.
Orc Shaman on Warg.
5 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
1 Wild Warg
700 Points, 41 Models, 8 Might
You've got 6 bows on the table, but 27 of your models have Throwing Spears, granted, they're 8” range, but but your movement being 10”, you should get some mileage! The bows are mostly there to maximise if D6 warriors come in early and get a chance to get some early game shots! Your biggest weakness will be the fact your bulk is just Orcs, although mounted on Wargs, they're still F3, I've tried to mitigate this by putting a banner in, and partly with the throwing spears as well, just to try and make things swing in your favour with the odd cheeky spear kill. Don't forget, all the Wargs might stick around when the rider dies, making them great for trapping or playing objectives, and just generally being a nuisance, it's pretty annoying to essentially have to kill a model twice, especially when the riders should be backed up by the Shaman's Fury! There are also 2 generic Captains in there to help you with Might as Heroic Moves will decide games with this list.
I can't wait to see what people come up with from this expansion! It's looking to be a good one!
Riders of Eomer
Steve: Before the reveal of the Legendary Legions of War in Rohan, I was hoping for a force to resemble the charge led by Gandalf and Éomer at Helm’s Deep - thankfully we got it! The list allowances themselves are quite thin, with a smattering of heroes and Riders of Rohan being your only options, also losing the usual army wide +1 strength bonus on a cavalry charge. The losses I believe are made up for by the gains however, which I’ll go into with the following list:
Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark w/Horse, Shield
5 Riders of Rohan with Throwing Spears
4 Riders of Rohan
Gandalf the White with Shadowfax
Erkenbrand with Horse
2 Riders of Rohan withThrowing Spears, Westfold Redshield
6 Riders of Rohan with Westfold Redshield
700pts, 20 Models, 8 Might
This list (and the general design of the legion) revolves around one thing - hit them so hard on the first charge that they turn tail and run. Whilst not much of a ‘gain’ per se, Éomer does still grant a +1 Strength on cavalry charge to those in his bubble, which is great providing you can win on the initial duel. Erkenbrand boosts this via his Westfold Redshields turning him into a banner for those following him - chuck these guys in first alongside Éomer to try and punch through the enemy lines.
If you’re a Rohan player like me, you’ve no doubt been scared of spear and pike blocks blocking your objectives and generally bogging you down and depriving you of one of the armies greatest strengths. The good news is that the White Wizard has heard your calls and asks you to ‘Look to the Sun’. This rule is incredibly thematic and I love it purely on that merit and a once per battle use which reduces the enemy forces duel roll by one for the whole round. On the first large charge you get, you trigger Gandalf and hope the dice go your way as you smash into the enemy lines.
Whilst this list is limited to only cavalry, it’s got great maneuverability and the inclusion of Gandalf gives you some great support in the way of spells such as Blinding Light and Immobilise to make sure you get the charge you want. Eomer can be a beast in Combat, and Erkenbrand is no slouch either (with the added boost of +2 courage to the army to help charge those pesky terror models). It still suffers the same Rohan weaknesses though - lack of high power heroes, limited unit choices and mount vulnerability. The main strategy I intend to apply is casting Blinding Light with Gandalf to protect from bowfire whilst the opportune charge is sought, meanwhile peppering the enemy force with arrow fire from the riders. The key is finding the right moment to commit to the charge.
So what do you think about our lists? We are excited to get our hands on the book and try them out! What are you most excited about? Let us know! And if you want to get hold of the book yourself you can preorder it here with 20% off from Rebel Base Gaming!
So what do you think about our lists? We are excited to get our hands on the book and try them out! What are you most excited about? Let us know! And if you want to get hold of the book yourself you can preorder it here with 20% off from Rebel Base Gaming!
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